Metal railway-tie.



P. TIMMONS.

METAL RAILWAY TIB.

APPLIOATION FILED FEB, 2s. 190s.

Patented Feb. 16, 1909.

ZSHEBTS-SHEET 1,

F. TIMMONS.

METAL RAILWAY TIE.

APPLIUATION FILED PEB. 28, lona.

Patetea Feb.16, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNrrED STATES `PATENT OFFICE.

-FRANK TIMMONS, OF DENVER, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO VICTOR E. DAVIS, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

METAL RAILWAY-TIE.

Patented Feb. 16, 1909.

Application filed February 2S, 1908. Serial No. 418,243.

To all whom it may concern:

Be 1t known that i, FRANK TIMMoNs, a

body of the member beyond this enlarged extremity consisting oi' a relatively thin citizen of' the United States, residing in the plate 7 provided at its extremity opposite city and county of Denver' and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Metal Rail\vay-'l`ies; and l do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and iigures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this speciiication.

My invention relates to improvements in metal railway ties, my object being to provide a construction of this class which shall do away with the necessity for bolts and spikes.

Ordinarily the rails are secured to the ties g by the use of spikes, while the rail joints are formed by the use of iish plates and bolts. In my improved construction the tie is comosed of two members and devices for holding the rails in place are formed integral with the said members. These consist of platos which overlap the llange oi the rail wherever the ties are located and they take the place both of the ordinary 'fish plates and also the place ot' spikes Jfor securing the rails to the ties.

Having briefly outlined my improved construction, I will proceed to describe the same in detail reference being made to the accompanying drawing in which is illustrated an embodiment thereof.

In this drawing, Figure 1 is a top plan view of a section of track showing a number of my im roved ties in place. Fig. 2 is a section talen on the line 2-2 Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of my improved ties, showing a piece oi rail in position and one of the locking keys in place, the other being removed. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one ofthe tie members. Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line 5-5 Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the keys employed in locking the tie members together.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the views.

Let the numeral 5 designate each oi two substantially similar twin coperating menibers. Each of these members is provided at one extremity with an enlargement 6, the

the enlargement 6 with a tongue 8 adapted to enter a socket 9 formed in the head 6 of the other member. Each member is also provided with two inclined grooves 10. Each of these grooves extend 'from the extremity of the plate 7 and is directed inwardly as it extends downwardly, both extremities being open. The plate 7 of each member is also provided with two plates 12 adapted to overlap the flanges 14 ol the rails 13.

When the two members are assembled, the grooves 10 in each member coincide as to position with the corresponding grooves of the other member thus forming openings adapted to receive locking keys 15 which lock the tie members in the assembled relation and prevent any longitudinal move ment until the keys are removed. Consequently when the keys are in place, the tongues S of the plates 7 are maintained in engagement with the recesses 9 of the heads '.lhe grooves 10 of each member and consequently the openings formed by the two sets of grooves when the members are assembled, are slightly wedge-shaped being larger at their upper extremities and tapering as they extend downwardly, The keys 15 are of counterpart shape, whereby there is always a tendency for the keys to move down- Wardly under the influence of the vibration to which the ties are subjected. This prevents the keys from escaping at either extremity of the openings in which they are located'. 'lhe keys are slightly enlarged at their upper extremities as shown at 16 and these heads are inwardly beveled on opposite sides as shown at 17, to facilitate their removal by use of a suitable tool having jaws adapted to grasp the head of the key on opposite sides. When the ties are in use, they are preferably embedded in the ground a short distance, the de th being indicated by the dotted line A in 4ig. 2. They are located at suitable intervals. When the two members of each tie are assembled, the plates 12 which are beveled on their railengaging edges as shown at B, overlap the flanges of the rails on opposite sides and tightly engage the said rails after the locking keys are placed in position and the 'rails can never become loose, since -the keys Ihave a tendency to move downwardly by virtue of their Wedgeshape.

Having thus described my' invention, what I claim is:

1. A railway tie composed of two substantially similar members, each having a recessedheadat oneeXtremity anda tongue at'its opposite extremity, the tongue of each member being adaptedfto enter thereccss in the head of the other member, each member `.having inclined, grooves, the grooves ofthe ftwomembers coinciding astoposition when E2@hemembers are assembled, .andl locking keys adapted toenterthe openings formedby the grooves of the assembled members, themembers being provided with yplates adapted to overlap lthe iiangesofithe rails onopposite sides ,when-themembers, are assembled, subs tantially as described.

2. A metal railway tie composedoftwo .members, each member having va 4recessed headfat onefextremity and a'tongue at its opposits extremity, the tongue of eaclrmember being adapted to enter the recess in the other =member, each member ,having inclined grooves lwhlchcomclde as to positlon .with

grooves formed in the other member, the

Vsaid grooves forming wedge-shapedv openings, and keys of counterpart shapeadapted -to enter said openings, substantially as de Iinclined grooveswhich coincide as to position with the grooves formed in the other member, and keys adapted toienterthe..openings formed by the grooves when inthe assem- -bled position, substantially asdescribed.

4. vA metal railway` tie composed otwoginterlocking members each ,member having formed therein inclined grooves, A and Vlocking keys adapted to enter theopenings'formed by the grooves when said members varegassembled, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof-I affix my signature lin presence. of two witnesses.

'FRANK 'TIMMONS Witnesses z VICTOR DAVIS, DENA N ELsoN. 

